Improvement in straw-cutters



dialed mes @ate-nt (Militia.

Letters Patent No. 106,329, dated August 16, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN STRAW-UTTERS.

The Schedule :eferred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame I, SAMUEL COLAHAN, of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga and State ofOhio, have invented certain Improvements in Straw or Feed-Gutters, ofwhich the following is. a specification.

The nature of this invention relates to the construction of a straw orfeed-cutter,a11d is so arranged that the knife can be made to cut squareagainst a surface of wood or met-al, or the knife may be shifted so asto cut by the edge of the 'bottom Vplate of the cutter-box, in themanner of a. shear. l

The motion is given to the knife by inean's of a crank-shaft arrangedabove the knife, the knife sliding in grooves or V-shaped slides in' thesides of the i'rame, the crank-shaft being driven by gear-wheels on eachend.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a `side elevation.

Figure 2 is an end elevation.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sect-ion.

Figure 4 is a detached view of section.

A is a cutter-box madel in theusual form, and supported upon a frame andlegs in the usual manner. i

'At the front end of the cutter-box A is attached an ilron frame, B, thebottom of which is on aline with the bottom ofthe cutter-box.

Near the bottom of the frame B is arrangedafeedroller, G, the shaft ofwhich turns in suitable boxes in the frame, and on the ends of theroller-shaft are the driving-wheels D and balance-wheels E.

Above the roller C is a second roller, F, which turns in adjustableboxes g in the frame B.

Over the roller F is placed a spring, h, whose ends bear upon the vboxesg, and which may beinade to bear more or less by means of the set-screwt'.

In the upper part of the frame B is arranged a crank-shaft, K, whichturns in boxes, l, placed 4in the upper part of the sides of the frame,the ends of the crank-shaft passing through them, and having the smallgear-wheelsm on either end, which mesh with and are driven by thegear-wheels D.

Aknife-bar, n, which plays in the grooves or on the V-slides o on thesides of the frame B, is connected to the crank-shaft K by the pitman p,the knife lw being secured tothe bar 'a'by the screws s.

The bearings iu the boxes l are made in one end of them, so that theends ofthe boxes mayT be reversed by turning them over, bringing thecrank-shaft near the front, the knife-bar then playing .nearer thefront, so that the knife shall cut past the front edge of the frame B,inthe manner of shears, a knife like that seenin iig. 4 being used forthat purpose.

rlhis. knife, thus arranged, .is int-ended to be used when cutting largematerial, as stalks, 85e., when the other Ywould not he as eieient. i

When the knife w is arranged to work in theV rear grooves or slides,itlcuts against a groove in the bettom of the frame B, which groove isto be provided with a plate of copper, wood, or other suitable material.Y

Itwill be seen by the arrangement of the crankshaft above the knifethat, as it descends, its cuttingpower is increased as the cranks andpitmen come into line.

It is also intended to use but one or both of the balance-wheels, as maybe desired, but there are to be two sets of gein-wheels, as represented.

I claim- 1.l The combination of the reversible boxes l, crankshaft K,pitman-rods 11 1), and knife w, said parts being :so arranged that theposition of the knife may be changed to etfeet either a pressure cut ora shear cut,

as and for the purpose specified.

2. Thecomhination and arrangement of the shaft K, rods 1), knife n fw,reversible boxes l, rollers F G, boxes g, spring h, set-screw fi, thedrive-wheels D, flywheel or wheels E, pinions m, thc frame B with guideo, and the box A, all` constructed and operating substantially asdescribed.

S. COLAHAN.

Witnesses:

Geo. W. Tusexmls, C. E. TIBBITTS.

